Acknowledgements
by Amelia Wingheart
Summary: A girl named Kikyo is traveling to become a dragon rider
1. The Strange Stones

"God, I hate my father! Ugh...I just want to go and check out the world, but instead I have to stay here to take care of his stupid dragon! For what...I mean, it's not like he can't take care of HIS DRAGON!" Kikyo rants as she walks down a hallway. Suddenly, she walks into Murtagh.

"What's up, Kikyo?" Murtagh asks, smiling.

"Galbatroix...he...he...oh, Murtagh! I'm just so sick of him overworking me! He just has no-" Kikyo stops when Murtagh places a finger against her mouth.

"Shh.. Kikyo, you should know not to talk like that in the hallways...your father will-" Murtagh begins, but stops when he hears Galbatorix's booming voice.

"KIKYO!" Galbatorix shouts. They both flinch at the sound of his voice.

"Now you've done it. He's going to kill you now." Murtagh says, shaking his head.

"KIKYO! GET OVER HERE!" Galbatorix commands. Kikyo slowly walks toward where Galbatorix's dragon is. When she gets there, she notices something.

"Hey, girl How are you doing?" Kikyo asks the dragon. "What's wrong?" She asks as she goes to the stall, and lowers down to the ground. She sees that there's a black orb like thing next to the dragon. "Can I see it?" Kikyo asks.  
_  
*Sure. Just be careful.*_ The dragon says with a serious look on her face. Kikyo slowly picks up the stone, and walks out with it.

"Wow. What a beautiful stone." Kikyo says, looking at it with admiration.  
_  
*Come here, Kikyo.*_ The dragon says.

"What is it?" Kikyo asks.  
_  
*Take this with you as well.*_ The dragon says, pushing yet another stone out from behind her.

"Okay." Kikyo says in a confused voice.  
_  
*And hide them well. Don't let Galbatorix know that you have them.*_ The dragon says, looking at Kikyo with serious eyes.

"Why?" Kikyo asks in a quiet voice.  
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*You'll see soon.*_ The dragon says as she lays down. Kikyo puts the black and red stones in her bag. _*See you tomorrow, and take care of them until the time is right.*_ The dragon says as she smiles.

"Okay." Kikyo says as she pulls the bag with the stones onto her back, and runs out of the barn type thing, heading toward Murtagh's room. Just before she gets there, she's stopped by Morzan.

"What's going on, young one?" Morzan questions.

"I'm going to talk to Murtagh." Kikyo says as she shuffles her feet.

"Are you done with your chores?" Morzan questions. Kikyo nods.

"Yes. I just got done. I'm going to study with Murtagh. You know the Ancient Language assignment you have us is due tomorrow." Kikyo says, looking at the floor.


	2. Let Me Know

"Okay go along, but remember not to be that loud, otherwise you will be in huge trouble with your father, and I think we both know how fun that is." Morzan says, smirking down at Kikyo.

"Yeah." She says, refusing to meet his eyes. She runs off holding her bag as close to her as she could without busting the stones. She finally gets to Murtagh's room, and sees him standing in front of the door, waiting for her.

"Hey, Kikyo. What's up?" Murtagh asks.

"I have to show you something." Kikyo says, motioning toward his bedroom.

"Come in then." Murtagh says, opening the door. She goes into the room, and sits on his bed. "Now, what's going on?" He asks, shutting the door before turning toward her.

"I went to Eldest to do my chores, and found these." Kikyo says, opening her bag to reveal the two stones.

"What are they?" Murtagh questions.

"I don't know! Eldest told me to guard them with my life." Kikyo says, shrugging.

"Then they must be important! So, where are you going to keep them?" Murtagh asks.

"I haven't figured that out yet. Where do you think I should keep them? After all, if I keep them in my room, my father will find them..." Kikyo mutters, deep in thought.

"Why don't you leave them here? I will watch over them, and that way you can come over, and look at them every day." Murtagh says, looking thoughtful.

"True...okay, that's what I'm going to do. So, where are you going to keep them?" Kikyo asks, looking at Murtagh with a critical eye.

"I have a box in my closet that I'm sure they'll fit in." Murtagh says, pointing over his shoulder at the closet.

"Okay. Well, I suppose we should start practicing the Ancient Language. After all, I told your father that that's what we were going to be doing so that I could come and show you the stones." Kikyo says, pulling a scroll out of her bag.

"Why did you do that? We're going to be in so much trouble if my father walks in here and we don't even have our scrolls out!" Murtagh shouts.

"Yeah well, I have to get going anyway. See you tomorrow." Kikyo says as she places the stones on Murtagh's bed, and walks out of the room. She goes to her room, and lays down on her bed, falling asleep not long afterward.

Morning comes, and Kikyo wakes up to Murtagh pounding on her door.

"What is it?" Kikyo asks in a sleepy voice.

"I think you need to come out. Your father is looking for you...something about Eldest." Murtagh says in a hurried voice.

"Coming." Kikyo says as she gets out of bed. She comes out a couple minutes later, and the two of them walk down the hallway, and into the dining room, where Galbatorix is sitting with Morzan. "What's going on?" Kikyo asks.

"Have you seen anything in Eldest's pen that looks like a giant pebble?" Galbatorix demands, looking at Kikyo.

"No...why?" Kikyo asks, playing dumb.

"Oh, nothing. Just tell me if you do. It's very important that I find it." Galbatorix says in a friendly yet stern tone.

"All right. I'll tell you if I find anything." Kikyo says, bowing slightly.

"Okay, now that, that's over with, how are you two doing on learning the Ancient Language?" Galbatorix asks.

"Well, we had a hard time there for a while, but I think we're doing better. We still need to train, though...we-" Kikyo begins.


	3. Taking the Stone

"Okay, I'll give you until the end of the week to learn all the A's in the alphabet." Morzan says in an off handed voice.

"But that's not nearly enough time." Murtagh says in a confused voice.

"Then I suggest that you go and start studying NOW!" Morzan shouts, glaring at Murtagh. He leaves the room. Kikyo follows him out into the hallway, where they slowly start to walk toward their rooms.

"And?" Kikyo asks.

"And somehow they were outside of it when I woke up this morning!" Murtagh says, sounding confused.

"Really. I wonder how that happened. Weird." Kikyo says with a thoughtful look on her face.

"That's what I was thinking until I watched them roll out of the bowl when I put them back this morning. So I put them in a tout and walked out to get you." Murtagh says in an even voice.

"Can I come and see them?" Kikyo asks, looking at Murtagh.

"If you bring my scroll back at the same time!" Murtagh says, glaring at Kikyo.

"Yeah, I suppose you want them." Kikyo says, smiling.

"Yeah, considering that we are going to be tested on them at the end of the week!" Murtagh says in a slightly too loud voice.

"Yeah, that sucks." Kikyo says shaking her head.

"A LITTLE!" Murtagh shouts, only to echo off the walls.

"Well, I suppose I should go get them. Be back in a little while." Kikyo says as she runs down the hall toward her room. She enters her room, and grabs all the scrolls. She goes back to Murtagh's room, and walks in. "So, what's going on?" Kikyo asks.

"First, lets study for a little while, just so we can as least learn some of the language." Murtagh says, sighing.

"Okay." Kikyo says in a bored voice. They study for an hour. Murtagh walks over to his closet after the hour. Kikyo follows. When they see astounds Kikyo. "What the hell is going on!" Kikyo demands.

"See! They grow!" Murtagh says in a flabbergasted voice. Kikyo lifts up the black stone, and walks over to Murtagh's bed, where she sets it down.

"It's so...beautiful!" Kikyo says in a mesmerized voice. Murtagh steps up next to her holding the red stone. The two of them sit down.

"Would it not be amazing if they turned out to be eggs!" Murtagh says in a mesmerized voice as well.

"Yeah, it would be...well, what would you say if I brought this one back to my room with me?" Kikyo asks, motioning toward the black stone.

"Sure...so what has changed your mind?" Murtagh says, looking at Kikyo with confused eyes.

"I do not know...I just feel that I should bring it with me." Kikyo says, never looking away from the stone.

"Sure. So, are you going back to your room?" Murtagh asks, looking back at Kikyo.

"Yeah. I have to before my father comes to check up on me." Kikyo says with a sigh as she thinks of what her father would do if he caught her away from her room so late at night.

"Oh, I suppose. Well, see yuh tomorrow then." Murtagh says, looking at Kikyo with sadness.

"Yeah, see yuh." Kikyo says as she picks up the stone, and walks out of the room. She goes back to her room, and falls asleep.


End file.
